Pete Schopen named chairperson for 89th Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference

Pete Schopen

The Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management (CUIPM) at Purdue University, led by Dr. Barry Pittendrigh, and the Purdue Pest Management Conference planning committee revealed that Pete Schopen, owner of RV There Yet Pest Consulting and a columnist for Pest Management Professional (PMP) magazine, is the new chairperson for the 89th Conference, taking place Jan. 13-15, 2025.

“We are looking forward to adding some exciting features to the Purdue Conference in 2025,” Schopen said in a news release. “Purdue is the granddaddy of all pest conferences and we want to make it exciting this year.”

Among the new features this year will be “fireside chats” for vendors to talk more about their products, a bags-tournament for the technicians and on-stage games for attendees.

Business Development Director Suzana Palaska, also shared a collection of some of the speakers set for the conference: “Paul Bello, Alan Feuer, Dr. Nina Jenkins, Mark VanderWerp, [PMP columnist] Foster Brusca and [PMP Hall of Famer] Dr. Dini Miller are just some of the outstanding experts we will have at this year’s three-day event.”

This year’s conference is titled “Moving at the Speed of Technology.” The event brings together pest management professionals to exchange ideas, grow networks and engage in the future of pest management at a venue that is considered by many to be the birthplace of urban entomology as we know it today.

Learn more about the conference and how to register.